Manim, short for Mathematical Animation Engine, is an open-source Python library developed by Grant Sanderson, the creator of the popular educational YouTube channel “3Blue1Brown.” Manim is designed for creating high-quality mathematical animations which I personally liked and I’ve been a fan of since highschool.
About Manim
Manim is built on Python, leveraging the language’s versatility and readability.
- The object-oriented programming (OOP) paradigm serves as another essential pillar, providing a structured and modular framework for creating intricate animations. This design choice enhances code organization and encourages the development of reusable components.
- The rendering process, a critical aspect of any animation library, is where Manim excels. It seamlessly incorporates powerful tools like FFmpeg for video encoding, Pango for text rendering.
- Utilizing LaTeX, particularly in conjunction with packages like TikZ and visualizing it through Manim, has been a transformative experience that has deepened my appreciation for both typesetting and mathematical animation.
History
- Classic Manim (Manim Community Edition): The original version, known as Classic Manim or Manim CE, was the first iteration of the library. It gained popularity for its mathematical animation capabilities.
- Manim GL (Manim OpenGL): The newer version, Manim GL, introduced improvements in terms of performance and extensibility. It utilizes modern graphics technologies like OpenGL to enhance rendering speed and capabilities.
Intro To manim
here is an animation I picked from manim docs showing the essence of manim.
from manim import *
class AnimatedSquareToCircle(Scene):
def construct(self):
circle = Circle() # create a circle
square = Square() # create a square
self.play(Create(square)) # show the square on screen
self.play(square.animate.rotate(PI / 4)) # rotate the square
self.play(
ReplacementTransform(square, circle)
) # transform the square into a circle
self.play(
circle.animate.set_fill(PINK, opacity=0.5)
) # color the circle on screenWorking with manim proffessionally
My first gig as a freelancer was to create manim animations for an educational platform.
Responsibilities
- Developed CLI tools and modular solutions to automate repetitive tasks, saving
20%development time between iterating over the versions of the animation and rendering and testing which yielded in a productivity boost. - Applied OOP principles and advanced math to create visually compelling animations using
LaTeX, ffmpeg, OpenGL, and Cairo, fostering immersive learning experiences. - Engineered Python packages for seamless integrations with various Cloud Services (
GCP) APIs that uses a multitidue of gcp services likeAITTS and transcription, facilitating streamlined workflows. - Optimized rendering algorithms to reduce rendering time by
70%, ensuring faster loading times and enhanced user engagement. - Collaboratively developed and maintained Python packages, prioritizing code quality, modularity, and best practices.